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<title>To Build a Home by Shenanigans (PaintedDreams)</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30111150">To Build a Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaintedDreams/pseuds/Shenanigans'>Shenanigans (PaintedDreams)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCIS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Post episode 18x10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:28:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,718</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30111150</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaintedDreams/pseuds/Shenanigans</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Post 18x10, Gibbs gets a call. Then, he gets a surprise.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jethro Gibbs/Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>100</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>To Build a Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I finally caught up! And I regret it :D<br/>Originally, I started writing this as a series of phone calls after Jack leaves in 18x08, but the other scenes aren’t nearly done and I felt this stood well enough on it’s own. I might just randomly add a prequel to this some time.<br/>So, I present my attempt to work through this absolute hellscape of an episode!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leon shuts the door carefully behind him, but it’s a long moment before his engine starts, car pulling slowly from the drive. </p>
<p>Lucy snuggles into his side, head heavy on his thigh and entirely at peace with her new surroundings. She’s calm, clearly still tired from her injuries, and content to rest beside him. It’s... nice. </p>
<p>Then his phone rings and Lucy jumps from the couch, padding towards the kitchen away from the shrill noise. Checking the screen, he realises it’s gone 9pm. </p>
<p>“Yeah, Gibbs.”</p>
<p>“Gibbs? That you?” For a moment she sounds genuinely confused, but he’s known her long enough to recognise the edge to her voice. </p>
<p>“Who else it gonna be?” </p>
<p>“I’m just confused. Figured next time I heard your voice would be after a ‘state corrections facility’ message.”</p>
<p>And there it is. </p>
<p>“Who told you?” </p>
<p>His money is on Ellie. The kid misses her something fierce, and recent events have hardly helped. A bitter taste fills his mouth as he remembers her yelp when his elbow connected, falling back as he kept sinking his fist into Stana’s face. She hasn’t said a word about it, but then none of them have been exactly critical of his behaviour. Maybe Coyle was right. He has been a bad influence. </p>
<p>Looking at the pup waiting in the kitchen, he makes a decision. He’ll do better now. </p>
<p>“Jack?” He asks the silent phone, standing from the couch. “You there?”</p>
<p>“I’m here.” She breathes for a moment, gritty steps betraying her path as she paces through sand, before coming to a grating stop. “What were you thinking, Gibbs?”</p>
<p>It’s his turn for silence, grabbing a bowl Kasie sent over and heading to the sink. Filling it slowly, he ponders her question, giving it the thought she deserves.</p>
<p>“I don’t know. That’s the truth.”</p>
<p>“That’s not what Leon said.”</p>
<p>Ah. Good thing he didn’t put any money down. His slow departure made more sense now, using the time to call in reinforcements. </p>
<p>“And what <em>did</em> Leon say, Jack?” </p>
<p>“Don’t take that tone, cowboy. He’s worried about you. We all are.”</p>
<p>“Jack-“</p>
<p>“You can’t expect us not to, especially not after today. Why the hell- you could have killed him, Gibbs! And I don’t believe for one second that’s what you wanted.”</p>
<p>He’s silent for longer this time, watching Lucy lap at her bowl. He’ll need to pick up some proper stuff in the morning, figure out what kinda food she likes best, aside from salmon.</p>
<p>Bracing against the cabinets, he sinks to the floor beside the pit bull, reaching a hand out to her side. </p>
<p>“I know.” A pause. “I’m sorry, Jack.” </p>
<p>Now it’s her turn for quiet and he absently wonders how much they're paying for a conversation of empty static.</p>
<p>Lucy gets up and starts wandering around the kitchen, sniffing particularly interesting corners, and nosing her way ‘round the fridge. Maybe she’ll like steaks for dinner.</p>
<p>“Breaking rule #6?”</p>
<p>“Nah. Doesn’t count for friends.” He owes her this much.</p>
<p>“Tell me.”</p>
<p>“I was angry and I- I snapped. Beat the shit outta him, woulda killed him if they hadn’t stopped me. Hell, I hit Bishop trying just that.”</p>
<p>He hears the sharp breath however hard she tries to mask it and gathers Leon never told her this much. Considering how much lying his teams been doing today, he might not even know.</p>
<p>“I’m… thankful, that they were there.”</p>
<p>“You told Leon-”</p>
<p>“-Yeah, I know.”</p>
<p>“Why?” It’s a small question, really, but heavy with possibilities. Why did he lie to his boss? Why is he grateful his team stopped him making the second biggest mistake of his life? Why did he hit him in the first place? He starts with the easiest.</p>
<p>“It was in his hands, Jack. Inspector dropped the ball.”</p>
<p>She lets out a hard breath.</p>
<p>“What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“I mean- they were going to let me off. No prison, no consequences if I made a formal apology. That’s not right.”</p>
<p>She hums a little, and he knows she agrees, however much she hates the thought of him suffering. It’s his own damn fault after all.</p>
<p>“I said what I said ‘cause I knew he’d do what he did. He’s a good man. They're all good. They just-”</p>
<p>“Love you?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” he sighs. “Idiots.”</p>
<p>She huffs a thick laugh.</p>
<p>“You put them in a difficult position.”</p>
<p>“Doesn’t make it right.”</p>
<p>“No, but…”</p>
<p>He knows what she means. Knows he’d likely have done the same if it had been any of them.</p>
<p>“So, you’re not having any murderous inclinations?”</p>
<p>The joke falls flatter than his, but he appreciates the attempt at humour.</p>
<p>“Nah… don’t regret hitting him but- went too far.” His hand still aches from the beating, knuckles red and sore, but his conscience is much worse off.</p>
<p>“You know why that is.” It’s not a question.</p>
<p>“Yeah.”</p>
<p>Lucy finishes exploring the kitchen and comes back to his side, slumping down with her head in his lap. Even with bald patches and scar tissue, her fur is soft against his hand, warm under his swollen knuckles.</p>
<p>“I miss her, Jack.” His voice breaks, Lucy blurring as his eyes fill with tears.</p>
<p>“I know, hun,” she soothes, sorrow matching his own. “I know.”</p>
<p>Tobias is gone, moved out to go stay with his mother-in-law after the funeral. His house was packed up, any sign of Emily shut away in cardboard boxes and a man with dead eyes.</p>
<p>Gibbs had tried to help, tried to comfort his best friend. But every second had burned. Watching the realisation sink in that his daughter was dead, that his family was gone, had hurt worse than any bullet.</p>
<p>It was too familiar.</p>
<p>Their baby girl is dead, and he has nothing to cling to, no sense of purpose, of revenge, of family. There’s nothing left because there was nothing there in the first place, just an honorary title that left him childless again.</p>
<p>He doesn’t realise he’s crying until a rough tongue licks at his face, paws in his stomach and a worried whine reaching his ears.</p>
<p>“Hey, girl, shh, it’s okay, it’s okay,” he croaks. He calms her down with soft strokes, nearly forgetting about the woman at the end of the line.</p>
<p>“Who’ve you got there, cowboy?”</p>
<p>She laughs through her own tears, clearly predicting his answer, even as the dog snuffles at his phone.</p>
<p>“This here,” -he ruffles the ears in front of him- “is Lucy. Kasie entrusted me with the task of finding her a home. So, I did.”</p>
<p>“Hiya, Lucy,” Jack coos, warmth radiating through the connection. “How are you, girl?”</p>
<p>She continues babbling nonsensical terms of endearment at the pup, tiny barks answering her sweet voice, before returning to him.</p>
<p>“Going to build her a mini doggy couch?” she teases, laughing as he huffs.</p>
<p>He’ll never admit the thought had already crossed his mind.</p>
<p>Changing the subject, he indulges in some more self-destructive behaviour for the day.</p>
<p>“Maybe you should come meet her.”</p>
<p>She’s quiet, silence stretching so thin he thinks he might have lost her. Again. But then-</p>
<p>“Maybe I will.”</p>
<p>Somehow, it hurts more to hear the possibility than it does to know there’s 7000 miles between them.</p>
<p>When she lies to him, he forgets how to breathe.</p>
<p>+++</p>
<p>A week later, that hurt changes.</p>
<p>Lucy starts barking at the door, an hourly occurrence, but this time there’s frenzied knocking, and he stands in time to see a taxi pulling away from his curb.</p>
<p>“Gibbs!” comes the shout, and his heart nearly stops. “You going to open up, or am I going to freeze?!”</p>
<p>
  <em>Afghanistan clearly hasn’t helped her patience.</em>
</p>
<p>Swinging the old door open doesn’t help his breathing either, desert sand and weeks of near sunburn doing nothing to dull her beauty.</p>
<p>A solid bump nudges him aside and Jack quickly drops her duffel.</p>
<p>“Hey, there, Lucy!”</p>
<p>She crouches, catching the leaping pit bull who promptly tries to get acquainted with every inch of her, and completely ignoring the startled man in front of them.</p>
<p>Seeing the near vibrating-with-excitement dog, he can't say he blames her.</p>
<p>“Thought you weren’t keen on dogs?”</p>
<p>She ignores him in favour of returning the enthusiastic attention and he's almost grateful for the time it gives him to examine her.</p>
<p>God, she looks good, even in fatigues. <em>Especially in fatigues</em>, a traitorous voice whispers, studying how she bends.</p>
<p>That much hasn’t changed, even if there’s bags under her eyes that could rival his. She looks healthy, if exhausted, and he knows Afghanistan was the right choice, knows now better than any long-distance call could tell him.</p>
<p>“Jack,” he starts, waiting until she looks up with a grin. “What you doing here?”</p>
<p>The grin doesn’t fade, broadening into a toothy smile as she stands with a last pat to Lucy’s back.</p>
<p>“Told you already, cowboy. Had to meet the newest member of your team.”</p>
<p>She doesn’t even have the decency to flinch under his glare, sidling past him as he stoops for her kit.</p>
<p>Lucy leads her to the couch, waiting patiently until boots are yanked off, a jacket hung up, and she can collapse into the cushions beside her, tired but happy.</p>
<p>He stands for a moment longer, studying the way she relaxes into his home.</p>
<p>Two months she’s been gone, but it feels like she never left.</p>
<p>She looks right there, and he wonders if he’ll ask her to stay this time. If she’ll say yes, knowing he’ll wait for her to get her head straight.</p>
<p>He’s building a home, and it won't be complete without her.</p>
<p>He sits down, nudging Lucy out of the way so he’s next to Jack, before finding himself with a lap full of pit bull, and a blonde head sinking into his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Missed you, cowboy,” she murmurs, heavy with sleep, with no sign she plans on moving any time soon.</p>
<p>“Yeah.” He hesitates, remembering her sun-warmed kiss salty with farewell tears. “Missed you too.”</p>
<p>This is a new start. It has to be.</p>
<p>He sinks further into the couch, shifting an arm around her until she nestles into his side. Lucy snugs down too, eyes closing under his hand, head pushed into his palm.</p>
<p>Falling asleep is easy, surrounded by his two favourite girls, knowing they’ll be there when he wakes.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Title from To Build a Home, by The Cinematic Orchestra</p>
<p>Thank you for reading! x</p></blockquote></div></div>
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